The Canisius men’s basketball team will travel to Canada for a foreign tour July 29-Aug. 2, playing four games while also taking part in cultural experiences and various team-building activities, head coach Reggie Witherspoon announced Thursday.
This will be the Golden Griffins’ second foreign tour under Witherspoon’s tenure as head coach, and this will be the first trip since the Blue and Gold traveled north of the border in the summer of 2017.
“Taking a trip like this allows us to run formal practice sessions and play organized games against other teams during the summer workout period,” Witherspoon said. “To me, foreign trips have always been important to provide additional team bonding time. Our players will have the chance to go places and see things that they would not get to see on their own because their schedules do not normally allow for it. In addition to basketball, this trip provides our guys with the chance to visit and see different historical and cultural experiences as a group, allowing us to grow together both on and off the court.”
NCAA rules allow teams to take a foreign tour once every four years. Teams participating in a foreign trip are also permitted 10 practice dates in advance of the trip. The Griffs have been running full team practices at the Koessler Athletic Center since July 17.
Canisius’ game schedule on the foreign tour will start July 30, when the Blue and Gold travel to play at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. On Canisius’ last foreign tour, the Griffs ended a five-day road trip at Carleton. On July 31, the Griffs will play at Concordia in Montreal, Quebec, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. Canisius also played at Concordia in the summer of 2017 and defeated the Stingers by the score of 82-69.
The Griffs will close out their foreign tour with games at the University of Quebec in Montreal on Aug. 1 at 7 p.m., before traveling to play at Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Quebec on Aug. 2. Tip-off time for that game is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The 2023-24 edition of the Griffs return three regular starters and eight letterwinners from a season ago, led by sophomore guard Tahj Staveskie, a unanimous selection to the MAAC All-Rookie Team. Overall, Canisius returns 54.8 percent of its scoring, 65.0 percent of its rebounding and 58.2 percent of its total minutes from a season ago.
The 120th season in school history is set to officially get underway on Nov. 8, when Canisius travels to play at Syracuse.
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